Method and system for determining an actual cost ownership

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for determining an actual cost of ownership of a purchase product may include determining a baseline value of the purchase product, and receiving usage information representative of usage of a user product from a computing device in communication with the user product. The purchase product and the user product may belong to a same class of products. The method also may include determining a user cost component based on the received usage information, and determining an actual cost of ownership of the purchase product based on at least the baseline value and the user cost component.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to costevaluation, and, more particularly, to determining an actual cost ofownership.

BACKGROUND

Merchants that sell items that have a high cost to operate and maintainderive benefits from providing a potential purchaser with informationregarding costs associated with the purchase of the item. These costsmay cover a particular period of time. Such items, including, forexample, vehicles or houses, may be listed by aggregation services thatprovide cost information beyond the purchase price. Financiers can alsobenefit from presenting a representation of costs to allow theircustomers to more accurately plan large purchases.

A cost of ownership for the purchase of an item may be based on a fewestimates that represent an average operating cost. For example, theaverage insurance cost for a typical item over a period of time may beprovided. Such estimates may be based on considerably generalizedinformation. Actual user information is absent from these estimates, asis objective information reflecting the user's use of a similar item.

The present disclosure is directed to addressing one or more of theseabove-referenced challenges. The background description provided hereinis for the purpose of generally presenting the context of thedisclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials describedin this section are not prior art to the claims in this application andare not admitted to be prior art, or suggestions of the prior art, byinclusion in this section.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one aspect, a computer-implemented method for determining an actualcost of ownership of a purchase product may include determining abaseline value of the purchase product, and receiving usage informationrepresentative of usage of a user product from a computing device incommunication with the user product, the purchase product and the userproduct belonging to a same class of products. The method may alsoinclude determining a user cost component based on the received usageinformation, and determining an actual cost of ownership of the purchaseproduct based on at least the baseline value and the user costcomponent.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method for determining anactual cost of ownership of a purchase product may include receivinginformation from a user product indicative of an identity of the userproduct from a user device in communication with the user product, theuser product and the purchase product belonging to a same class ofproducts, and identifying the user product based on the informationreceived from the user product. The method may also include measuringusage information associated with an operation of the user product, anddetermining the actual cost of ownership of the purchase product basedon at least a baseline value and the measured usage information.

In another aspect, a system for determining an actual cost of ownershipof a purchase product may include a memory storing instructions and atleast one processor executing the instructions to perform a processincluding determining a baseline value of the purchase product, andreceiving usage information representative of usage of a user productfrom at least one of an accelerometer, a global positioning systemreceiver, or a radio, the purchase product and the user productbelonging to a same class of products. The process may also includedetermining a plurality of user cost components based on the receivedusage information, and determining the actual cost of ownership of thepurchase product based on at least the baseline value and the pluralityof user cost components, wherein the plurality of user cost componentsare determined based on at least one of a geographic location, a route,an acceleration, and a deceleration of the user product.

According to additional aspects of the disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by oneor more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform theaforementioned computer-implemented method or the operations that theaforementioned computer systems are configured to perform.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate various exemplary embodiments andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of thedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary system infrastructure, according to one ormore embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method of determining anactual cost of ownership of a purchase product, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary method of determining anactual cost of ownership of a purchase product, according to one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a computing device, according to one ormore embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The terminology used below may be interpreted in its broadest reasonablemanner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detaileddescription of certain specific examples of the present disclosure.Indeed, certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, anyterminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will beovertly and specifically defined as such in this Detailed Descriptionsection. Both the foregoing general description and the followingdetailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are notrestrictive of the features, as claimed.

In this disclosure, the term “based on” means “based at least in parton.” The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context dictates otherwise. The term “exemplary” is used inthe sense of “example” rather than “ideal.” The terms “comprises,”“comprising,” “includes,” “including,” or other variations thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method,or product that comprises a list of elements does not necessarilyinclude only those elements, but may include other elements notexpressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article, orapparatus. Relative terms, such as, “substantially” and “generally,” areused to indicate a possible variation of ±10% of a stated or understoodvalue.

In the following description, embodiments will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. As will be discussed in moredetail below, in various embodiments, data such as user usageinformation and/or user activity information may be used to determine anactual cost of ownership (ACO) for one or more purchase products whichmay be available for purchase. The ACO may be displayed on a display ofa user device or otherwise presented to a user, and/or may be used todetermine whether one or more potential products available to purchaseare suitable for the user.

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting an example of a system environment 100according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Thesystem environment 100 may include computing devices, such as a userdevice 30 and a personalization processor 50 for determining an ACO.User device 30 and personalization processor 50 may be in communicationwith each other via network 140. Additionally, system environment 100may include one or more user products 14, industry database 60, useraccount database 70, and maintenance/repair database 80. Industrydatabase 60 may be one or more databases including a cost database 62and a product inventory database 64. User account database 70 may be oneor more databases of a financial service provider 18, and may includecredit account database 72, banking account database 74, and loandatabase 76. Maintenance/repair database 80 may be one or more databasesof a product service provider 20. Alternatively, industry database 60and maintenance/repair database 80 may belong to (and/or includedwithin) financial service provider 18. Network 140 may facilitatecommunication between personalization processor 50, user device 30,industry database 60, user account database 70, and maintenance/repairdatabase 80.

User product 14 may be a product owned, operated, or otherwiseassociated with a user. In one example, user product 14 may be a productwith significant operational costs, such as a home or a vehicle. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 1, user product 14 may be a vehicle that isregularly operated by the user. As shown in FIG. 1, multiple userproducts 14 may be associated with a user, each of which may communicatewith user device 30. Each piece of information measured by user device30 in one user product 14 may also be measured in a second user product14. The measured information from a plurality of user products 14 maythereby be used to determine an ACO for those user products 14 and/orfor a purchase product. A non-user product 16 represents a product whichthe user does not operate, but which may be associated by the user. Forexample, non-user product 16 may represent vehicles in which the user isa passenger. User device 30 is configured to determine an identity ofuser products 14 and determine that product 16 is a non-user product,and thereby avoid measuring usage information when a user is, forexample, a passenger in non-user product 16, as will be described infurther detail below.

A purchase product may belong to the same classification or class ofproducts as user product 14. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, userproduct 14 is a vehicle. Accordingly, the purchase product, like theuser product 14, may also be a vehicle (e.g., belong to a same class ofproducts). More specific subclasses may include cars, trucks,sport-utility vehicles, electric vehicles, etc. Alternatively, the userproduct 14 and purchase product may belong to a same class of realestate (e.g., single-family homes, condominiums, offices, etc.).

User device 30 may be a computer system such as a mobile computer orcellular phone that is operated by a user. User device 30 may includememory, one or more processors, communication interfaces, input devices,and output devices, as will be described in further detail below withreference to FIG. 4. User device 30 may include an accelerometer 32, apositioning receiver 34, such as a global positioning receiver or othergeo-location device, and one or more communication interfaces 36.Communication interface 36 may include one or more cellular radios,Bluetooth, WiFi, near-field communication radios, or other appropriatecommunication devices for transmitting and receiving information. As canbe seen in FIG. 1, communication interface 36 facilitates communicationbetween network 140 and user product(s) 14. Multiple communicationinterfaces 36 may be included in user device 30 providing multiple formsof communication between user device 30 and user product(s) 14. Forexample, communication may be achieved by one or more cellular radiosand/or WiFi communication between user device 30 and user product(s) 14.Communication also may be achieved through Bluetooth, near-fieldcommunication, a wired data connection (e.g., a universal serial bus, anonboard diagnostic system, etc.) or other communication modes.

User device 30 may include hardware configured to sense (measure) andrecord usage information when user product 14 is operated. For example,user device 30 includes an accelerometer 32 that has one or moreindividual sensors configured to measure acceleration and deceleration.Accelerometer 32 may include an acceleration measurement chip having agyroscope sensor and a compass sensor (or magnetometer) to detectorientation and/or heading. Positioning receiver 34 includes, forexample, a Global Positioning System receiver configured to determine alocation of user device 30. Communication interface 36 may also measurelocation based on data received from other satellite location systems orcommunication with a cell tower, for example. Accelerometer 32,positioning receiver 34, and communication interface 36 mayindependently or collaboratively measure acceleration, deceleration,speed (instantaneous or average), stops, geographic location (e.g.,city/state/region), and route (e.g., trip information).

Prior to or as a precondition for acquiring data from accelerometer 32,positioning receiver 34, and/or communication interface 36, user device30 may determine an identity of user product 14. This may allow userdevice 30 to associate an operation of user product 14 with a particularuser. Thus, data measured by user device 30 may be pertinent to theoperation of the user product 14, while data is not measured when theuser is, for example, a passenger in a non-user product 16.

An identity of user product 14 may be initially determined when userdevice 30 first communicates with user product 14. This may beaccomplished via Bluetooth pairing, WiFi pairing, etc. This initialidentification may include inputting a passphrase, password, encryptionkey, unique identifier, etc., into user device 30. Any suitableauthentication routine may be employed in this initial pairing of userproduct 14 and user device 30. If the user owns or regularly operates aplurality of user products 14, the initial authentication process may beperformed once for each user product 14. Subsequent operations of userproduct 14 may include identifying user product 14 without the need tore-enter the passphrase, password, or identifier, or may include anabbreviated authentication process. In one embodiment, each subsequentoperation of user device 14 following the initial identification areperformed without user intervention (e.g., via an automated Bluetoothconnection). If necessary or desired, user device 30 may prompt a userto confirm that the operator will perform the operation of user device14.

Following each initial or subsequent authentication, user device 30 maymeasure, via accelerometer 32, a magnitude and frequency of accelerationand/or deceleration, and/or other information indicative of drivingstyle (e.g., a tendency to speed, a tendency to repetitively brake,etc.). Information from positioning receiver 34 may also be indicativeof driving style. In addition to driving style information, user device30 may measure, via positioning receiver 34 and/or communicationinterface 36, geographic location and/or routes that are traveled byuser product 14. For example, user product 14 may measure positioninformation that corresponds to a commute or other frequently-traveledroutes. This measured information may be provided to personalizationprocessor 50 in an intermittent or continual basis via network 140.

Additional information may be provided to personalization processor 50from one or more of industry database 60, user account database 70, andmaintenance/repair database 80, as described above. Each of thesedatabases 60, 70, and 80 may include one or more storage devices, suchas solid-state storage media (e.g., solid state drives and/or removableflash memory), optical storage media (e.g., optical discs), and/ormagnetic storage media (e.g., hard disk drives) for storing information.

As described above, industry database 60 may include one or moredatabases such as cost database 62 and product inventory database 64which store industry information. Cost database 62 may contain or storecost information (e.g., supplier listing price, average sales price,manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP), etc.) associated with one ormore purchase products. This cost information may include purchaseprice, fees, sales tax, etc., for each purchase product. Cost database62 may also store information relevant to the operation of user product14, such as a database of fueling locations and the prices for fuel ateach fueling location at various points in time. Product inventorydatabase 64 may contain or store inventory information for one or morepurchase products. This inventory information may include the details(e.g., features, MPG rating, etc.) of each purchase product availablefor sale and an average operating cost value for one or more purchaseproducts.

When user product 14 and the purchase product are vehicles, the costinformation stored in cost database 62 may include at least one of aso-called “out the door price” (a price including all dealership feesand taxes), invoice price, dealer cost, dealer fees, DMV fees (e.g.,registration fees), or any other fees associated with the initialpurchase of a particular purchase product. Similarly, when the class ofproducts is vehicles, the product inventory database may includeinformation of one or more purchase products available for sale,including make, model, year, trim, options, color, VIN (vehicleidentification number), etc. Each piece of information in cost database62 and product inventory database 64 of industry database 60 may bereceived and stored by personalization processor 50 via network 140.Thus, personalization processor 50 may store and process informationcorresponding to one or more purchase products.

As noted above, user account database 70 may include credit accountdatabase 72, banking account database 74, and loan database 76, each ofwhich may be provided in a shared database, or as separate databases.Databases 72, 74, and 76 may store industry information including creditusage information (via credit account database 72), banking information(via banking account database 74), or loan information (via loandatabase 76). Specifically, credit account database 72 may store datarepresentative of the purchase history of a user having one or morecredit accounts. This may include fueling purchases, toll purchases,maintenance or repair purchases, insurance payments, or any otherrelevant purchases or payments. Banking account database 74 may storesimilar data that is obtained from a banking account of the user when,for example, a bank account debit card is used to make a purchase. Loandatabase 76 may include data associated with one or more loansassociated with user product 14. This data may include financing costs(e.g., principal, interest rates, etc.), loan availability, etc.

Maintenance/repair database 80 may include industry informationcorresponding to maintenance and repair costs of user product 14. Forexample, maintenance/repair database 80 may store cost informationcorresponding to each time user product 14 has been serviced orrepaired. This information may indicate a category of service (e.g.,routine maintenance), a more specific type of service (e.g., oil repair,tire change, etc.), or repair associated with a manner of operating userproduct 14 (e.g., collision repair, tire replacement, etc.). A monetarycost of each service or repair performed on user product 14 may bestored in maintenance/repair database 80.

Personalization processor 50 may be a device configured to receive datafrom user device 30 and databases 60, 70, and 80, to determine (e.g., bycalculating) an ACO, that is an ACO for a specific user rather than ageneralized population of potential users. Each piece of informationdescribed with respect to databases 60, 70, and 80 may be received foruser product 14, a second user product 22 associated with a second user,and for one or more purchase products. Personalization processor 50 maybe a computer system that determines an ACO for a purchase productand/or user product 14. The ACO determined by personalization processor50 may be unique to the user associated with user device 30. As can beseen in FIG. 1, personalization processor 50 may be in communicationwith user device 30, industry database 60, user account database 70, andmaintenance/repair database 80 via network 140, which may be theInternet or any other suitable communication infrastructure or network.Personalization processor 50 may include memory, one or more processors,communication interfaces, input devices, and output devices (FIG. 4), inorder to determine the ACO based on information received from databases60, 70, and 80 with user device 30.

Personalization processor 50 may determine an ACO by adding one or moreuser cost components (UCC) to a baseline value (BV). The BV may bedetermined by personalization processor 50 based on the informationreceived from industry database 60. In one aspect, BV corresponds to the“out the door price”, including all fees associated with the initialpurchase of a vehicle. Thus, BV may be received from cost database 62,or may be independently determined by personalization processor 50.

Personalization processor 50 may determine one or more UCCs that areadded to BV. Examples of UCCs include a depreciation, a fuel cost, atoll cost, a cost of insurance, a tax cost, a registration cost, amaintenance cost, and a repair cost, each of which may be determinedbased on usage information from user device 30 and/or based on industryinformation received from databases 60, 70, and/or 80. The ACO, and eachUCC, may cover or encompass a cost over a predetermined period of time,such as five years. In such an example, each UCC may be calculated for aperiod of five years, and added to the BV, which may be a one-time cost(e.g., purchase price) or a cost corresponding to the five-year period(e.g., payments of the purchase price for five years). In some examples,the ACO for a five-year period calculated by personalization processor50 may be calculated based on the BV plus the depreciation, fuel cost,toll cost, cost of insurance, tax cost, registration cost, maintenancecost, and repair cost for five years. In one aspect, the period of timeover which personalization processor 50 calculates the ACO may beselected by a user by interacting with user device 30.

The ACO, for example, the ACO of a purchase product, may be calculatedby personalization processor 50 based on exemplary Equation El below. InEquation E1, n represents a number of UCCs that are each added to BV todetermine the ACO.

Equation E1:

ACO=BV+(Σ=(UCC₁)+(UCC₂)+(UCC₃)+...(UCC_(n)))

Each UCC may be determined based on one or more user cost factors (UCF)determined by personalization processor 50. For example, for a UCC thatrepresents the cost of fueling for a period of five years, UCFs mayinclude fuel prices, distance travelled, and fuel economy.

The UCFs may be determined based on measured data representative ofbehavior or habits of the user operating one or more user products 14(habit UCFs). Habit UCFs may be related to driving style, and includeacceleration/deceleration rate, cornering speed, braking frequency,routes, distance travelled, etc. Habit UCFs may affect depreciation,fuel cost, toll cost, maintenance cost, or other costs. In one example,a fuel cost may be based on a geographic location or a route. Thisinformation may be correlated with credit account information or bankingaccount information from databases 72 and 74, respectively. A toll costmay also be determined based on a geographic location or a route, suchas a commute. In another example, a depreciation may be increased basedon frequent acceleration and/or frequent deceleration (braking).Depreciation may also be increased when a frequency of accelerationand/or deceleration measured by user device 30 is indicative of strongvibrations (e.g., by frequently encountering potholes or other irregularroad surfaces).

Other UCFs may be dependent on geographic location, product type, orother factors unrelated to behavior or habits. These UCFs may includeregion, credit rating, etc., and may affect tax cost, registration cost,insurance cost, or other costs. Each UCF may be determined based onusage information from user device 30.

One or more UCF(s) or UCC(s) may be determined by personalizationprocessor 50 based on data from multiple users. In one aspect, two usersmay operate similar user products (e.g., user product 14 and userproduct 22, as shown in FIG. 1). That is, user products 14 and 22 may beuser products having the same make, model, year, and/or trim. In anotheraspect, the two user products 14 and 22 may be related, but include oneor more differences (e.g., both user products are hybrid sedans, largetrucks, etc.) Usage information for one or more second user products 22may be received by a user device for one or more additional users (notshown).

Personalization processor 50 may use the information stored in databases60, 70, and/or 80 for second user associated with second user product 22to assist in the determination of an ACO for a user (e.g., target user)associated with user product 14. For example, the cost of fuel,insurance cost, and/or maintenance cost UCC may be determined bypersonalization processor 50 for the second user and used to determinethe corresponding UCC for the target user. This may be performed byfirst determining that the target user of user product 14 and the seconduser of user product 22 have at least some usage information related orin common. For example, when a geographic location of user products 14and 22 are the same or within a specified threshold distance of oneanother, UCCs such as toll cost, and/or tax cost that were determinedfor second user (e.g., the user of product 22) may be used to determinea corresponding UCC of the target user (e.g., the user of product 14).Similarly, if registration cost, maintenance cost, and repair cost UCCare determined for one user, the UCCs determined for this user may beused as a substitute for a corresponding UCC of another user. Thus, whenthere is a lack of information for one user (e.g., a target user of userproduct 14) pertaining to a specified UCC, the UCC for another user(e.g., second user associated with second user product 22) having asimilar user product, geographic location, route, and/or driving habitsmay be used to supplement the information pertaining to the one user.

Additionally, one or more UCFs may be determined for the target userbased on the corresponding UCF of another user. For example, when aninsurance rate or a cost of fuel for the target user (e.g., a targetuser of user product 14) is unknown, an insurance rate or a cost of fuelfor a second user (e.g., second user associated with second user product22) with a user product similar to the user product of the target useror a same location as the target user may be used to provide orsupplement such information for the target user.

Once each UCC is determined, the UCCs may be added to the BV of apurchase product, as shown in Equation E1, to determine the ACO for thepurchase product. This ACO may be presented to the user via user device30, as will be described in further detail below.

Additionally, the ACO may be calculated for user product 14 (e.g., viaEquation E1). That is, once each UCC is determined, the UCCs may beadded to the BV of user product 14 to determine the ACO of user product14. Subsequently, the determined ACO of user product 14, or ACO_(UP),may be compared to an industry or average (operating) cost value for thesame product 14 or for a similar product. The industry cost value may bea value received from cost database 62, for example, and may represent ageneral cost of ownership for a purchase product. As shown in EquationE2 below, an ACO_(UP) for the user product 14 may be divided by anindustry cost value for the user product (ICV_(UP)) to determine amultiplying factor MF. Accordingly, a magnitude of the differencebetween the ACO_(UP) and the ICV_(UP), which may be represented bymultiplying factor MF, may be determined by personalization processor 50and provided to user device 30 for display to a user. Multiplying factorMF may represent whether a user is matching an average industry costvalue (MF=1), below the average industry cost value (MF<1), or above theaverage industry cost value (MF>1).

$\begin{matrix}{{MF} = \frac{{ACO}_{UP}}{{ICV}_{UP}}} & {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} {E2}}\end{matrix}$

The magnitude of multiplying factor MF for user product 14 (for example90% or 0.9 when the ACO_(up) is 10% lower than the average industry costvalue) may be applied to an industry or average cost value for apurchase product. Thus, personalization processor 50 may determine anACO for a purchase product (ACO_(PP)) based on the magnitude difference(e.g., 90%) and based on an average industry cost value for a purchaseproduct (ICV_(PP)). This may be performed based on exemplary Equation E3below.

Equation E3

ACO_(PP)=MF*ICV_(PP)

Thus, personalization processor 50 may determine the ACO for a purchaseproduct, or ACO_(PP), by taking the ACO for the user product, ACO_(UP),into account. That is, ACO_(PP) is based on the ratio (multiplyingfactor MF) of the ACO for the user product 14 to the average industrycost value for the same user product 14, as shown in Equations E2 andE3. The resulting ACO for the purchase product, ACO_(PP), may bepresented to the user via user device 30.

In some arrangements, the above-described ICV_(PP) may be a valuereceived from cost database 62. In other arrangements, however, theICV_(PP) may be the average ACO (e.g., as determined via Equation E1)for a plurality of users operating a similar purchase product/userproduct. Thus, an individual owner's ACO for user product 14 (e.g.,ACO_(UP)) may be compared to an average ACO and used to scale theACO_(PP). Thus, the ACO may be based on an actual usage of user product14.

The ACO may also be calculated by personalization processor 50 based onan exemplary Equation E4 below. In Equation E4, each UCC (UCC₁, UCC₂,etc.) may be scaled by one or more scalars, or scaling factors,represented by A, B, C, etc.

Equation E4

ACO=BV+(Σ=A(UCC₁)+B(UCC₂)+C(UCC₃)+...Z(UCC_(n)))

The scalars employed in Equation E4 may allow personalization processor50 to adjust (increase or decrease) a respective UCC based on theinformation measured from user device 30 and/or received from at leastone of industry database 60, user account database 70, ormaintenance/repair database 80. The information of a second user,including the usage information of user product 22 associated with thesecond user, may be used to determine a scalar that adjusts one or moreof the UCCs of the target user. The value of the scalar may be one whenone or more of the UCCs are not adjusted. Scalars may be determinedbased on any usage information measured by accelerometer 32, positioningsensor 34, and/or communication interface 36 of a user device 30associated with the second user operating a second user device 22.

In order to accurately determine scalars of each UCC, data transmittedfrom user device 30 and received by personalization processor 50 mayallow personalization processor 50 to calculate UCFs that affect one ormore UCCs. This data may include one or more ofacceleration/deceleration information measured by accelerometer 32,geographic location measured by positioning receiver 34 and/orcommunication interface 36, route information from accelerometer 32,positioning receiver 34, and/or communication interface 36. For example,based on the usage information received from user device 30,personalization processor 50 may determine that the operator of userdevice 14 accelerates and decelerates at an increased rate and/or withgreater frequency than an average user. Thus, the UCC for fuel cost maybe scaled upwards. Similarly, if a route (e.g., commute) of user device14 includes significant tolls, a corresponding toll cost UCC may bescaled upwards. The scalars may also be performed on the basis ofinformation from industry database 60, user account database 70, andmaintenance/repair database 80.

The ACO_(PP) may be calculated based on Equation E4 by determining avalue for each UCC for the purchase product. One or more of these UCCsmay be determined based on usage information from user device 30 andinformation from databases 60, 70, and 80, as described above. Thus,personalization processor 50 may calculate an ACO_(PP) by adding one ormore scaled UCCs to BV. The resulting ACO_(PP) may be presented to theuser via user device 30.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a computer-implemented method 200 fordetermining ACO_(PP) according to an exemplary embodiment. In oneaspect, a purchase product may be a vehicle or a piece of real estate,etc. A first step 202 may include determining a baseline value of thepurchase product. An exemplary BV may be obtained from cost database 62,for example. The BV may represent an entire initial cost of a purchaseproduct, including all one-time fees, sales tax, registration costs,etc., in addition to the price charged by the owner or dealer. BV may bea monthly payment for one or more of these elements. Personalizationprocessor 50 may determine the BV based on the type of purchase product.The type may include, for example, make, model, trim, size, or otherinformation.

In a step 204, usage information representative of the usage of a userproduct 14 may be received by personalization processor 50. This usageinformation may be information measured by accelerometer 32, positioningsensor 34, and/or communication interface 36 of a computing device, suchas user device 30. The usage information from user device 30 may includeone or more of acceleration information, deceleration information, speedinformation, geographic location information, or route information. Thisinformation may be periodically received by personalization processor 50via network 140. Additionally or alternatively, this information may bereceived after communication between user device 30 and user product 14has ended or ceased. Thus, in some arrangements, usage information maybe received by personalization processor 50 at a time different than atime during which user product 14 is operated and in communication withuser device 30.

Step 204 may also include receiving usage information from industrydatabase 60, user account database 70, and/or maintenance/repairdatabase 80. Personalization processor 50 may include any relevantinformation stored in databases 60, 70, or 80. For example, historicalfuel cost information may be received from cost database 62.

In a step 206, personalization processor 50 may determine a user costcomponent (UCC) based on the received usage information. This may beaccomplished by correlating data received from user device 30, industrydatabase 60, user account database 70, and maintenance/repair database80, with personalization processor 50. For example, a fueling frequencymay be determined based on route and location information measured bypositioning receiver 34. This information may be correlated withinformation from credit account database 72 and/or banking accountdatabase 74 to determine an amount of fuel purchased. For example,personalization processor 50 may determine that fueling for user product14 was performed based on one or more occasions at which fuel waspurchased (e.g., by the fuel cost information) and user device 14 waspresent and stationary at a fueling (e.g., gas) station.

Other types of correlated information may be processed bypersonalization processor 50 to determine a UCC. For example, distancetravelled by user product 14 may be determined from the routeinformation from positioning receiver 34, allowing personalizationprocessor 50 to determine a fuel efficiency by correlating thisinformation with fuel purchases.

In step 206, personalization processor 50 may determine a UCC based onthe received usage information from user device 30, user accountdatabase 70, and/or maintenance/repair database 80, in addition to costinformation from industry database 60. In one example, personalizationprocessor 50 may determine a UCC for fuel cost. The fuel cost UCC may beadjusted based on the magnitude of acceleration, deceleration, afrequency of deceleration or stopping, etc., or other measurements madewhile user product 14 is in operation and which may be associated withfuel costs. For example, if user device 30 measures frequent stops, thefueling cost UCC may be adjusted upward (e.g., by Equation E1 and/orE4). Furthermore, a fuel economy of user product 14 may be determined bypersonalization processor 50. As user device 30 may providepersonalization processor 50 with the identity of user product 14, anexpected fuel economy for user product 14 may be known topersonalization processor 50, for example from product inventorydatabase 64. The expected fuel economy may then be compared to theactual fuel economy measured by user device 30. For example, the fueleconomy may be less than the expected fuel economy (e.g., 10% less).This may be used to scale the fuel cost UCC accordingly (e.g., byincreasing the fuel cost UCC with a scaling factor in Equation E4).

Various other UCCs may be determined and/or scaled based on informationfrom user device 30 in a similar manner. For example, depreciation,toll, insurance, tax, and/or registration costs may be determined basedon the geographic location or route measured by positioning receiver 34and received by personalization processor 50. Additionally, accelerationor deceleration information may be used to determine or adjust fuel,insurance, maintenance, and/or repair costs. Information from useraccount database 70 and/or maintenance/repair database 80 may be used todetermine or adjust fuel, insurance, maintenance, or repair cost.

In step 208, an ACO may be determined for one or more purchase products.When the purchase product(s) are vehicles, the ACO may be the determinedcosts associated with the vehicle for a period of time. In one aspect,step 208 may be performed by calculating the ACO by personalizationprocessor 50 (e.g., by Equation E1). Alternatively, step 208 may includecalculating the ACO_(PP) based on Equations E2 and E3, and/or based onEquation E4). The ACO_(PP) may be based one or more UCCs determined foruser device 14, as discussed above. An ACO of a purchase product maythen be presented to a user, for example, via a display of user device30.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a computer-implemented method 300 fordetermining an actual cost of ownership of a purchase product accordingto an exemplary embodiment. In a first step 302 of method 300, anidentity of user product 14 may be received by user device 30. Forexample, user device 30 may receive information indicative of theidentity of user product 14. This information may be provided byBluetooth pairing, WiFi, near-field communication radios, for example,via communication interface 36. Alternatively, information may includean identifier (e.g., a unique alpha-numeric string) received by userdevice 30, or any other manner described herein.

In a step 304, based on the identification information, an identity ofuser product 14 may be determined by user device 30. The identity ofuser product 14 may be determined based on a unique identifier or asotherwise described herein. In one aspect, the identity of user product14 may be determined by correlating identification information receivedby user device 30 with make, model, and/or trim information. In step306, which may be performed following a successful identification instep 304, user device 30 measures information during the operation ofuser product 14. As noted above, this measured information may beacceleration, deceleration, speed, stops, geographic location, androute. Step 306 may be performed in response to the identificationperformed in step 304. Said differently, step 306 may not be performedwhen user device 30 is located in a product such as a vehicle that isnot under the operation of the user associated with user device 30.

In step 308, an ACO for a purchase product (ACO_(PP)) may be determined.In an aspect, the ACO_(PP) may be calculated by personalizationprocessor 50 and provided to user device 30 via network 140. Thus, userdevice 30 may determine the ACO_(PP) by receiving the ACO_(PP)calculated by personalization processor 50. Step 308 may includedisplaying the ACO_(pp) to a user via a display (e.g., output device460, FIG. 4) of user device 30. The ACO_(pp) may be shown as a singlevalue or as one or more values. For example, multiple values that eachcorrespond to a respective UCC for the purchase product may bedisplayed. Specifically, the ACO_(PP) may be presented as a displayed BVand one or more values for a depreciation, a fuel cost, a toll cost, acost of insurance, a tax cost, a registration cost, a maintenance cost,or a repair cost. Additionally, the ACO_(pp) and one or more UCCs may bedetermined and displayed as a cost over a daily, weekly, biweekly,monthly, bi-monthly, annual, 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, or other period oftime.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a computing device 400 such as userdevice 30, and/or personalization processor 50. Computing device 400 mayinclude processor(s) 410 (e.g., CPU, GPU, or other such processingunit(s)), a memory 420, and communication interface(s) 440 (e.g., anetwork interface) to communicate with other devices. Memory 420 mayinclude volatile memory, such as RAM, and/or non-volatile memory, suchas ROM and storage media. Examples of storage media include solid-statestorage media (e.g., solid state drives and/or removable flash memory),optical storage media (e.g., optical discs), and/or magnetic storagemedia (e.g., hard disk drives). The aforementioned instructions (e.g.,software or computer-readable code) may be stored in any volatile and/ornon-volatile memory component of memory 420. The computing device 400may, in some embodiments, further include input device(s) 450 (e.g., akeyboard, mouse, or touchscreen) and output device(s) 460 (e.g., adisplay, printer). The aforementioned elements of the computing device400 may be connected to one another through a bus 430, which representsone or more busses. In some embodiments, the processor(s) 410 of thecomputing device 400 includes both a CPU and a GPU.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a computing device 400. Computingdevice 400 is an exemplary computer system and may include one or morecomputing devices. If the one or more processors 410 of the computersystem 400 are implemented as a plurality of processors, the pluralityof processors 410 may be included in a single computing device ordistributed among a plurality of computing devices. If computer system400 includes a plurality of computing devices, the memory 420 of thecomputer system 400 may include the respective memory of each computingdevice of the plurality of computing devices.

In general, any process discussed in this disclosure that is understoodto be computer-implementable, such as methods 200 and 300, may beperformed by one or more processors of a computer system, such ascomputer system 400, as described above. A process or process stepperformed by one or more processors may also be referred to as anoperation. The one or more processors may be configured to perform suchprocesses by having access to instructions (e.g., software orcomputer-readable code) that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform the processes.The instructions may be stored in a memory of the computer system. Aprocessor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processingunit (GPU), or any suitable types of processing unit.

Regarding user device 30, accelerometer 32 and positioning receiver 34may provide information that is processed by processor 410 and outputvia communication interface 36 (an exemplary communication interface440). User device 30 may include an output device 460 in the form of adisplay. This display may be a touchscreen device and thereby also forman exemplary input device 450. The output device 460 of user device 30may provide the ACO for a purchase product to the user. In oneembodiment, the ACO is determined for a plurality of purchase products.Thus, the user may readily compare the ACOs for multiple purchaseproducts.

The methods and systems described herein may determine an ACO for aparticular purchase product, such as a vehicle. This may allow a user todetermine how a purchase product may increase or decrease spending overa period of time, and assist the user in understanding how a purchaseproduct may affect the ability to absorb other costs (e.g., rent,groceries, childcare, etc.). Thus, a user is able to receive an accurateestimate of the ACO when determining how a purchase product will affecta budget.

Instructions executable by one or more processors may be stored on anon-transitory computer-readable medium. Therefore, whenever acomputer-implemented method is described in this disclosure, thisdisclosure shall also be understood as describing a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by oneor more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform thecomputer-implemented method. Examples of non-transitorycomputer-readable medium include RAM, ROM, solid-state storage media(e.g., solid state drives), optical storage media (e.g., optical discs),and magnetic storage media (e.g., hard disk drives). A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium may be part of the memory of a computer systemor separate from any computer system.

It should be appreciated that in the above description of exemplaryembodiments, various features are sometimes grouped together in a singleembodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose ofstreamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one ormore of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure,however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim.Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in lessthan all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, theclaims following the Detailed Description are hereby expresslyincorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment of this disclosure.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some butnot other features included in other embodiments, combinations offeatures of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope ofthe disclosure, and form different embodiments, as would be understoodby those skilled in the art. For example, in the following claims, anyof the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

Thus, while certain embodiments have been described, those skilled inthe art will recognize that other and further modifications may be madethereto without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, and it isintended to claim all such changes and modifications as falling withinthe scope of the disclosure. For example, functionality may be added ordeleted from the block diagrams and operations may be interchanged amongfunctional blocks. Steps may be added or deleted to methods describedwithin the scope of the present disclosure.

The above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other implementations, which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to themaximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosure is tobe determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of thefollowing claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted orlimited by the foregoing detailed description. While variousimplementations of the disclosure have been described, it will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreimplementations and implementations are possible within the scope of thedisclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be restricted.

1. A computer-implemented method for determining an actual cost ofownership of a purchase product, the method comprising: determining abaseline value of the purchase product; receiving usage informationrepresentative of usage of a user product from a computing device inradio communication with the user product after the computing deviceidentifies the user product by radio communication with the userproduct, the computing device having an accelerometer and a globalpositioning system receiver, the usage information includingacceleration information measured by the accelerometer and routeinformation measured by the global positioning system receiver includedin the computing device, wherein the usage information is measured basedon the identification of the user product by the computing device, andwherein the purchase product and the user product belong to a same classof products; determining a first user cost component based on theacceleration information included in the received usage informationmeasured by the accelerometer in the computing device; determining asecond user cost component based on the route information included inthe received usage information measured by the global positioning systemreceiver in the computing device, wherein the second user cost componentincludes a fuel cost or a toll cost and the route information includes adistance; and determining an actual cost of ownership of the purchaseproduct based on at least the baseline value and the first and seconduser cost components.
 2. (canceled)
 3. (canceled)
 4. The method of claim1, further including receiving industry information including at leastone of a credit usage information, banking information, or loaninformation; and wherein the first user cost component or the seconduser cost component includes at least the fuel cost, a repair cost, or acost of insurance that is determined based on the received industryinformation.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user costcomponent includes a depreciation.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst user cost component is associated with a first user and the userproduct is a first user product, and the determining the first user costcomponent is further based on a user cost component associated with asecond user having a second user product, the first user and the seconduser having at least one related geographic location, route, fuelingfrequency, fueling cost, repair history, or insurance cost.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the first user product and the second userproduct belong to a same classification.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein determining the actual cost of ownership includes summing aplurality of user cost components, the method further includingadjusting one cost component of the plurality of cost components bymultiplying the one of the plurality of cost components by a scalingvalue.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the actual cost ofownership includes summing a plurality of user cost components, theplurality of user cost components including the fuel cost and the tollcost.
 10. The method of claim 9, further including receiving at least acredit use information or a banking use information, wherein the fuelcost is determined based on at least the route information, and the fuelcost being determined based on the credit account information or thebanking account information.
 11. A computer-implemented method fordetermining an actual cost of ownership of a purchase product, themethod comprising: receiving information, at a computing device, from auser product indicative of an identity of the user product by radiocommunication between the computing device and the user product, theuser product and the purchase product belonging to a same class ofproducts; identifying, with the computing device, the user product basedon the information received from the user product via the radiocommunication; measuring usage information associated with an operationof the user product after the computing device identifies the userproduct via the radio communication, the computing device having anaccelerometer and a global positioning system receiver, the usageinformation including acceleration information measured by theaccelerometer and route information measured by the global positioningsystem receiver included in the computing device, wherein the usageinformation is measured based on the identification of the user productby the computing device; and determining the actual cost of ownership ofthe purchase product based on at least a baseline value, a first usercost component, and a second user cost component, wherein the first usercost component is calculated based on the acceleration informationincluded in the usage information measured by the accelerometer in thecomputing device, and wherein the second user cost component isdetermined based on the route information included in the usageinformation measured by the global positioning system receiver in thecomputing device, wherein the second user cost component includes a fuelcost or a toll cost and the route information includes a distance. 12.The method of claim 11, wherein the user product is a first userproduct, and the measuring usage information includes measuring usageinformation associated with operation of the first user product and withoperation of a second user product different than the first userproduct, based on a determined identity of the first user product and adetermined identity the second user product.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein the user product is a first user product, and the measuringusage information includes measuring usage information associated withoperation of the first user product and does not include measuring usageinformation associated with operation of a second user product, based ona determined identity of the first user product and a determinedidentity of the second user product.
 14. (canceled)
 15. (canceled) 16.The method of claim 11, wherein the method further includes determining,based on an identity of an additional product, that acceleration willnot be measured, and wherein the user product and the additional productare vehicles.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the usage informationfurther includes a geographic location measured by the globalpositioning system receiver.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein theclass of products is vehicles.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein theuser product is a user vehicle, and the usage information includesinformation indicating that the user vehicle is located at a fuelingstation.
 20. A system for determining an actual cost of ownership of apurchase product, the system comprising: a memory storing instructions;and at least one processor executing the instructions to perform aprocess including: determining a baseline value of the purchase product;receiving usage information representative of usage of a user productincluding acceleration information measured by an accelerometer androute information measured by a global positioning system receiver of acomputing device after the computing device identifies the user productvia radio communication with the user product, the purchase product andthe user product belonging to a same class of products, wherein theusage information is measured by the computing device in response to theidentification of the user product by the computing device; determininga plurality of user cost components based on the received usageinformation, including a first user cost component determined based onthe acceleration measured by the accelerometer and a second user costcomponent determined based on route information measured by the globalpositioning system receiver in the computing device, wherein the seconduser cost component includes a fuel cost or a toll cost and the routeinformation includes a distance; and determining the actual cost ofownership of the purchase product based on at least the baseline valueand the plurality of user cost components.
 21. The method of claim 1,wherein the radio communication is Bluetooth communication, WiFicommunication, or near-field communication.
 22. The method of claim 1,further including: receiving industry information including at least oneof a credit usage information, banking information, or loan information;and determining a third user cost component based on the accelerationinformation and the received industry information, wherein the thirduser cost component includes a repair cost, and wherein the first usercost component includes a depreciation determined based on a frequencyof acceleration and/or deceleration included in the accelerationinformation.
 23. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user costcomponent includes the fuel cost, and wherein the method furtherincludes scaling the fuel cost upwards based on the accelerationinformation included in the usage information.
 24. The method of claim1, wherein the second user cost component includes the toll cost, andwherein the method further includes scaling the toll cost upwards basedon tolls present in the route information.